Child psychiatrist to face Edmonton child porn charges down under

Charges have been stayed against an Australian child psychiatrist accused of making child pornography at West Edmonton Mall.

In a statement, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General spokesperson Dan Laville said the charges were stayed after Aaron Szen Voon agreed to plead guilty to them in Australian court, where he faces similar charges.

“The accused will face both the charges stemming from Alberta and the charges from his time in Australia,” Laville said. “If the accused does not plead guilty to Alberta’s charges, the Crown can still consider bringing him back to Canada to face the charges here.

Voon, 41, was arrested in May after a father caught a man videotaping his son using a urinal in Scotiabank Theatre at West Edmonton Mall.

Voon was charged with making and possessing child pornography, and voyeurism.

Australian police allege they found 409 photos of boys urinating in public washrooms on a computer seized from Voon.

In June, a statement of facts read in Perth Magistrates Court alleged Voon also had 12 videos on his computer of young boys urinating, according to Australian news outlet WA Today.

A police prosecutor told court Voon, 41, could be seen in some of the recordings. In one video, he allegedly followed a child out of a theatre lobby, the news website reported.

The Alberta Justice statement noted the case isn’t related to the Supreme Court of Canada’s Jordan decision, which addresses when charges can be stayed because of “unreasonable delays” in the prosecution.